I Pledge Allegiance

The Pledge of Allegiance. When I was a kid we said it every morning as we started our day. The whole school said it together with the voice coming across the announcement system. I think about the times I put my hand over my heart and said the pledge of allegiance and the words ring through my mind. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” America, don’t you just love our country? I’m sappy, so I get all patriotic and teary eyed.

Well, the day has arrived for our country, the United States of America, to install a new president. We are probably all a little nervous to see what happens in the future for our nation. Will this President be a blessing to us? To the freedoms that we stand on and rely on? Will we move closer to being the “one nation under God” that we started out being? Or will we move even further away? So many questions and uncertainties. It seems difficult to be at peace with so much unknown staring us in the face.

Now, I’m not getting into the politics behind it all. I find that politics seem to be more divisive than unifying. Just watch the news to see what I’m talking about. Or scroll through your Facebook page. I worry that maybe we, as Christians have forgotten about what “unifies” us in the first place.

We are blessed to live in the good old USA but we need to be careful that we don’t get caught up in the thought that Americans are God’s “chosen people”. God did not choose our nation like He chose the nation of Israel. We are “chosen” when we choose Him. When we listen to Him and really strive to follow Him. When we show our love for Him and what He has done for us. (Eph. 1:1-7, 1 Peter 1:1-5) We have the freedoms here to make those choices and we should thank God every day for that. But Americans are not God’s chosen people. As Christians we need to be showing America what being chosen by God looks like.

We should start by truly loving one another. (John 15:12; 1 John 2:7-11) A true love for each other will cover a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8) If I truly love you, I won’t gossip about you. If I truly love you, I won’t tear you down with my words, either out of my mouth or off my fingertips. If I truly love you, I will easily forgive you when you hurt me. On and on I could go. LOVE, true love, will guard our hearts from sin.

That word “indivisible” pops out at me. We cannot be divided! Do we hold to that within the body of Christ? Do we hold FIRMLY to “we will not be divided”? I think it’s time we start focusing on Jesus and how to be like Him. Pull our focus off of “how are they different from me”, “they don’t have the same opinion as me”. We need to lay aside anything that will stand in our way and fix our eyes on Him! (Heb. 12:1-2, read the whole chapter) Not how are we different within the body of Christ, but what joins us together. The blood of Christ!

Wow, are we blessed or what? We get the gift of living in a country that gives us the freedom to choose. But even better than that, we have chosen to be a part of the bigger picture, “one nation under God, indivisible, with TRUE liberty and justice for all”! God’s holy people! (1 Peter 1:14-16; 2:9) Let me encourage you to cling to that! To make a “pledge of allegiance” to our God and His people, the family of God, the body of Christ! Show that we are indivisible because we love one another and that liberty and justice can be had through Christ. Look up and see those that don’t have those liberties and justice because they don’t know Him and show them. Put your hand over your heart, bow your head and pledge your allegiance to the One in charge of everything and He will fill you with the peace you are longing for.

Our nation, the United States of America, is in His hands. Let’s cast all our cares on Him and trust Him! (1 Peter 5:7)

Related

Tami Roberts has raised 5 children, 4 boys and a girl and now is a Grandma. Her favorite past time is spending time with God’s people. She believes when we are strong and faithful the lost will see that we are different and want the life that we have. She and her husband Wayne travel the country conducting the His Shoes/Her Shoes marriage seminar.

Our Goals

"Religion that is pure (καθαρός/katharos) and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
James 1:27
1. Serve others.
2. Stay unstained.
3. Teach goals one and two through Scripture.